Under the guidance of the deacon from Slowpoke Temple, Tetsuya arrived at the entrance to the priest's room.
The deacon knocked on the door. "Head priest, Offerer Tetsuya has arrived."
"Mmm, come in!"
Only after the priest spoke did the deacon push open the door and step inside. The priest stood up and said, "Offerer Tetsuya, you truly are a person destined for our temple. Although you arrived a year late, we have been taking very good care of your Shellder."
"Many thanks."
Tetsuya smiled slightly. "Now we should discuss the matter of money." Tetsuya seemed to have already heard the voice in the priest's heart. Ever since Gengar had absorbed Bronzong's vitality, his psychic power had improved further, and his psychic abilities had strengthened as well. He could actually faintly hear a little of the other person's inner thoughts, though only those thoughts that were on the verge of being spoken.
"Offerer Tetsuya, you should continue making a donation for these four years of incense offerings," The priest said.
"Of course." Tetsuya smiled slightly and appeared very devout. This made the man very happy and caused him to like Tetsuya even more. In his eyes, Tetsuya was simply a fool with plenty of money, so easy to deceive~
"Very well. Four years. The incense offering fee is twenty thousand Pokédollars per year, for a total of eighty thousand." As the priest spoke, Tetsuya maintained his smile, but his heart was already bleeding.
This was truly daylight robbery!
Four years for eighty thousand. In other words, buying a single Shellder would cost him eighty thousand Pokédollars. It was practically extortion, even more excessive than the scam from four years ago.
However, for the sake of Slowpoke, he could only take it…
Tetsuya took eight stacks of cash from his backpack, exactly 80k Pokédollars. Fortunately, he had sold Dragonair. Otherwise, this plan would not have been possible.
"Would you be willing to let me stay at the temple for a few days to meditate and admire its culture?" Tetsuya asked.
"Of course! This time, the incense offering fee for meditate at the temple will be paid by me. Feel free to meditate here as much as you like!" The priest spoke in a grand and righteous manner, but in his heart he was already thinking about getting Tetsuya to return to Slowpoke Temple again in the future. Then he could openly charge him more money.
"I wonder if I could stay in the same place where I stayed four years ago." Tetsuya's true purpose was, of course, to remain close to that Slowpoke.
"Certainly. Quickly! Prepare a room for offerer Tetsuya," The priest urged the young deacon.
Afterward, Tetsuya followed the deacon to the wetland in the backyard where the Slowpoke were raised. A small wooden cabin was prepared for him, located right next to the nun who cared for the Slowpoke.
Naturally, Tetsuya greeted the nun as well. His meals were also planned to be taken there with her. The nun recognized Tetsuya and welcomed him warmly. She chatted with him and asked what had happened during the past four years. Tetsuya naturally spoke about all sorts of things. After all, with the experiences of two lifetimes, he had plenty of interesting stories to tell.
The nun had gone a long time without speaking with anyone, so she greatly enjoyed talking with Tetsuya. After all, spending every day caring for Slowpoke and living alongside such slow-paced Pokémon would gradually turn even the most impatient person into someone who moved at a slower rhythm.
Of course, Tetsuya only felt relieved after seeing that Slowpoke. His main objective this time was that Slowpoke. If it had disappeared, wouldn't all his efforts have been for nothing?
As for the nun, she knew nothing about the special nature of this Slowpoke. She only knew that the priest had instructed her to raise this Slowpoke in a special area.
After greeting the nun, Tetsuya prepared to follow the young deacon to reclaim his Shellder. He could completely build a good relationship with this nun while he was here. As long as the priest was brought to justice, he could easily take the Slowpoke amidst the ensuing chaos. However, Slowpoke's bond with this nun was undoubtedly the deepest. If he wanted Slowpoke to acknowledge him, he would absolutely need the nun's help.
They arrived at Lake Slowpoke.
The young deacon shouted toward the lake, "Shellder, time to eat!"
Led by one Shellder, fifty or sixty Shellder rapidly swam toward them.
"The Shellder leading them is yours," The deacon said.
Tetsuya nodded and walked to the lakeside. By this time, Shellder had already swum to the shore. When it saw Tetsuya, it excitedly leaped out of the water.
"Come back, Shellder."
Tetsuya took out Shellder's Poké Ball and recalled it. Being able to recall it into its Poké Ball finally put his mind at ease.
Afterward, Tetsuya sent out Shellder again and tested its moves. It had already learned Ice Beam.
Moreover, its power was quite impressive. Although it could not compare with Piloswine, it had, after all, swallowed a small piece of Everfrozen Ice. Its Ice-type moves were still stronger than those of ordinary Ice-type Pokémon. It seemed that Shellder had not been idle during these four years. Of course, there was still a huge gap between it and the Pokémon that had trained alongside him.
He still had Pryce's training guide for Shellder in his possession, so he could completely train it into a fairly capable Pokémon. However, that was not his intention. If Tetsuya had only wanted to raise it into a Pokémon at the Gym Leader level, he could have taken it away four years ago.
The reason he had left this Shellder here was naturally because of that Slowpoke. After all, when he was reborn, Will's greatest asset was the powerful psychic capabilities of his Slowbro. Moreover, that Slowbro hardly required any attention from its Trainer, as it was constantly using Calm Mind.
Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
Its psychic powers had become so powerful that it was outrageous. Even the Pokémon owned by Sabrina and Caitlin could only look on in admiration. Although that Slowbro knew only a single move, Confusion, the power it displayed with that move was absolutely overwhelming.
His Shellder was now also the strongest one in Lake Slowpoke. Once the incident at Slowpoke Temple that he had planned arrived, he could plan for this Shellder to bite that Slowpoke's tail. As long as he won over that nun, this Slowbro would certainly obediently listen to him and become his Pokémon.
"Go back to the lake for now. Spend your final few days with your companions. In a few days, we'll be leaving this place."
After speaking to Shellder, Tetsuya released it back into Lake Slowpoke once more.
---◓---
While staying at Slowpoke Temple, Tetsuya did not participate in any training at all. He simply stayed with the nun, telling her fascinating stories from the outside world, feeding the Slowpoke, and at the very least making sure that Slowpoke became familiar with him.
The nun grew increasingly fond of Tetsuya. She even felt that she had wasted her entire life and would probably spend the rest of it growing old alone within this temple.
Indeed, when the nun was young, she had encountered a major upheaval and, unwilling to face society, impulsively entered spiritual life. In the blink of an eye, thirty years had passed. She was now over fifty years old and could never return to those earlier days.
Listening to the old nun's repeated sighs, Tetsuya had already formed a plan in his mind.